About GFETW
The 2026 Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW) will bring together the global fisheries MCS, compliance and enforcement community to connect, share and strengthen their collective impact.
Theme: From Commitment to Compliance: Delivering Global Goals through Collective Action
When: 15 to 19 March, 2027
Where: Bali, Indonesia
Country Partner: Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF)
A new approach
This is not a conventional conference. It is a structured, practitioner-led working environment designed to move from commitment to implementation. Across five days, participants will work through the practical realities of delivering effective fisheries compliance, from building shared understanding and strengthening leadership, to designing compliance systems and applying tools in operational settings.
Grounded in lived experience, the Workshop centres those working on the front lines. Through structured small group engagement, supported by trained facilitators, participants will actively work through real challenges, test ideas, challenge assumptions and learn from what is working in practice.
| Feature | Description |
| Trained Group Leads | Four consistent participant groups, each supported by two trained Group Leads for the full five days. This creates continuity, trust and depth of engagement across the week. |
| Workshop app | A dedicated app supporting participant navigation, session engagement and real-time interaction throughout the Workshop. |
| Translation app | A translation app enabling inclusive participation across language groups — ensuring operational realities from all regions can be heard and discussed. |
| Structured engagement spaces | The MCS Photo Wall, Treasure Hunt, daily social media challenges, Speakers Corner and create active participation beyond formal sessions. |
| Meet and Map | An opening networking event centred on a large world map where participants mark their location and share a regional challenge or success — creating an immediate visual of the global community. |
| Tangible outcomes | The Workshop is designed to produce specific deliverables: a contribution to BBNJ processes, a community of practice for community-based compliance, best practice guidelines for wellness and safety, guidelines on gender in fisheries compliance, and a methodology for aligning donor support with agency needs. |
Themes
| Day | Theme and Sessions |
| 1 |
Grounding the community and shared purpose Opening, 25th anniversary celebration, group connections, wellness and safety on the frontlines, Meet and Map networking event |
| 2 |
Leading in practice: navigating complexity, responsibility and relationships Gender inclusivity in fisheries MCS, BBNJ and 30x30 commitments, community-based compliance informal working session |
| 3 |
Building effective compliance systems Compliance strategies and MCS plans, closing the policy-to-practice gap, data management fundamentals, industry engagement, donor support alignment informal working session |
| 4 |
Applying technology in practice Technology in compliance — power and limits, the Joint Analytical Cell, data for prosecution, AI in fisheries compliance, beach BBQ networking event |
| 5 |
Turning learning into action Group reflections, Voices from the Field plenary panel, closing plenary |